At a gathering of community leaders in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Joe Biden spoke about the impression left on him after speaking with Jacob Blake and his family today in Milwaukee.

“What I came away with was the overwhelming sense of resilience and optimism that they had about the kind of response they’re getting,” Biden said of his private meeting with the Blake family earlier in the day.
Biden said he specifically spoke with Blake who “talked about how nothing was going to defeat him, how whether he walked again or not, he was not going to give up,” he said. Biden said both men spoke on the phone for about 15 minutes.

The Democratic nominee also noted that he spoke about faith with Blake, specifically quoting, “He will raise you up on eagle’s wings, Bear you on the breath of dawn, Make you to shine like the sun, And hold you in the palm of His Hand.”

Joe Biden addressed a crowd of business and community leaders in Kenosha this afternoon where he discussed trouble in America’s legal system and ongoing racial issues.

Biden advocated for an examination of how prosecutors handle criminal convictions.

The former vice president also discussed education disparities in poor communities.

“There’s so much we can do,” Biden said. “We can do it by just eliminating the tax cut for the top one tenth of 1%.”

Biden said he is optimistic that there is an opportunity for change in this country “if we seize it.”

“We’ve reached an inflection point in American history. I honest to God believe we have an enormous opportunity now that the screen, the curtain has been pulled back on just what’s going on in the country, to do a lot of really positive things,” Biden said.

The Biden campaign provided a list of community members Joe Biden is speaking with at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha, Wisconsin, today.

The list includes members of the faith community, law enforcement officials, activists and small business owners, among others.

Here’s the list:

Tim Mahone, chair of Mahone Foundation
Jonathan Barker, reverend of Grace Lutheran Church
Rev. Monroe Mitchell III, senior pastor at Agape Love Christian Ministries
Anthony Kennedy, Kenosha Common Council president
Dena Feingold, rabbi at Beth Hillel Temple
Tim Thompkins, Kenosha resident and former Marine
Lori Hawkins, Kenosha County Democratic chair
Angela Cunningham, attorney with ADC Law Office
David Andrea, co-owner of Jack Andrea, a small business in Kenosha
Katherine Marks, CEO of the United Way of Kenosha County
Jeff Weidner, former president of Kenosha Local IAFF 414
Carlos Florez, pastor with St. Mark’s Church
John Morrissey, Kenosha city administrator and former police chief of the City of Kenosha
Aaron White, police officer
Barb DeBerge, owner of DeBerge Framing & Gallery
Tod Ohnstad, Wisconsin State representative and UAW member
Mary Ann Pevas, Dominican Sister of the Racine Dominicans
Jessie Metoyer, police lieutenant.